ZAGREB, May 13, 2019 – Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Prefect Zlatko Komadina on Monday warned that the police were having more and more difficulty in controlling the “green section” of the state border in Gorski Kotar and that the migrant pressure and illegal entries into Croatia had increased with the coming of spring, which way why he called for deploying additional forces to assist local police.
“We are faced with a serious problem and it is not new. Naturally, the problem needs to be resolved at the source, where migrations originate, however, that is a global story and we cannot influence it. What we can impact is the security of our borders, primarily the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Komadina told a press conference.
He added that he had asked the ministers of defence and the interior as well as Prime Minister Andrej Plenković to send additional forces to assist local police “because it is difficult to control the green areas of the county when migrants disperse.”
He underscored that local residents are concerned for their security and that they do not wish to create any panic, however, “the fact is that with the arrival of spring migrant pressure has increased and I expect an adequate response from the relevant ministries.”
Komadina also commented on a court decision made earlier in the day to open bankruptcy proceedings for the Uljanik dock, saying that this was the result of the government’s inaction and bad decisions by Uljanik’s management.
“Had the government wanted to prevent the bankruptcy, it wouldn’t have happened. I regret that the court didn’t wait for the response from the potential Chinese investor, but the fact is that the bankruptcy is primarily the result of the government not taking action and the poor decisions by Uljanik’s management. It is important that this decision does not directly impact the 3. Maj dock,” Komadina said.
“The period leading up to the bankruptcy hearing for 3. Maj gives hope of some recovery if the government wants it because opportunities do exist. 3. Maj’s management has put forward a number of recommendations to the relevant minister and government and I personally believe that it does not have to go into liquidation,” Komadina said in reference to the Rijeka-based shipyard, which, along with the Pula-based Uljanik dock, is part of the Uljanik shipbuilding group.
More news about the migrant crisis can be found in the Politics section.
